DES MOINES – Governor Terry E. Branstad on June 30 issued a proclamation of disaster emergency for five counties in response to the ongoing flooding and severe weather beginning June 26. Counties included in the proclamation are Adair, Cedar, Guthrie, Jones and Linn.
Read MoreMonth: June 2014
Bell Tower listed on Iowa Road Trips list
The Mahanay Bell Tower made the 12 Quirky Iowa Road Trips list of blogger Zach Steele. Steele headlines his blog “Running a mile and drinking a beer in all of Iowa’s 99 counties before I turn 30.” Read his post about the Bell Tower here: rundrinkiowa.tumblr.com
Read MoreIn the neighborhood
~by Jean Borgeson From the Rippey public library: Activities for the summer reading program – FIZZ, BOOM, POP – are: Wednesday, July 2: Youngsters can make a glow-in-the-dark bouncy ball at 4 pm. Tuesday, July 8: Staff from the Science Center of Iowa will be at the library at 10:30 am. Tuesday, July 15: Learn about wind energy from UNI…
Read MoreRain takes out baseball, softball games, but Rams win three
The Greene County Rams won a baseball game and two softball games during a weekend that saw both teams rained out of games. The baseball team won Saturday in the Kuemper tournament vs the Raptors of Ridgeview (Holstein), but the Sunday games in the tournament were cancelled due to rain.
Read MoreZero Fatalities traffic safety initiative launched June 30
DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday announced the launch of “Zero Fatalities,” Iowa’s plan to keep every man, woman, and child safe on Iowa’s roadways. Iowa’s Zero Fatalities program is a multiagency effort currently supported by the Iowa departments of Transportation, Health, and Public Safety through the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. The leaders…
Read MoreFourth of July fireworks!
Fireworks to celebrate Independence Day will be displayed Friday, July 4, at dusk at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Jefferson. Rain date is July 5.
Read MoreRethink the color of garbage trucks!
Scranton Manufacturing headlined the news last week with a groundbreaking ceremony for its 56,000-square-foot expansion. The new work space on the north side of the current building and will house 75 new jobs in assembly, painting and wiring. Anyone who thinks they know what color garbage trucks are supposed to be should think again.
Read MoreOut of drought… but still abnormally dry
Generous rainfall in the past several weeks has moved most of Iowa, including Greene County, out of drought conditions as of June 24. According to the USDA’s drought monitor, northern Greene County (parts of Cedar, Highland, Dawson and Paton Townships) is still “abnormally dry,” but that’s better than it has been. Volunteer weather observer John Beltz reports that from June 1…
Read MoreClass of 1964 has reunion during Bell Tower Festival
Members of the Jefferson High School class of 1964 were all smiles at their 50-year reunion during the Bell Tower Festival. Forty-one of the class’s 104 graduates attended. At the reunion, each of the military veterans in the class was given a Quilt of Valor. Quilts of Valor are made by volunteers through a nationwide program that encourages quilters to…
Read More500 mile bike ride across northern Minnesota will raise funds for Habitat
Erich Kretzinger, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Boone and Greene Counties, calls himself “one of those peculiar people who wears colorful jerseys, a funny hat (helmet, whatever) and those ridiculous Spandex biking shorts.” He says it’s an “affliction” that has caused him to complete three RAGBRAI tours and to teach indoor cycling classes. If all the miles he’s…
Read MoreHeads up – special Traffic Enforcement Project coming
Iowa law enforcement is again asking the motoring public to buckle up, slow down and drive sober over the Fourth of July four-day weekend. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, there were six traffic fatalities during the four-day Fourth of July weekend last year, three of which were alcohol related.
Read MoreRams win first game in Kuemper tournament
The Ram baseball team took advantage of two days of rest and arrived at the Kuemper Catholic (Carroll) tournament Saturday ready to play. (The Rams were not scheduled to play Thursday and a home game scheduled for Friday against South Hamilton was postponed because Allensworth Field was too wet.) The Rams beat the Raptors of Ridge View (Holstein) 7-3.
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